On March 26, 2020, fact checkers at the
Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) spotted a message shared on WhatsApp
and other online platforms claiming that a lecturer at the University of
Maiduguri (UNMAID) had urged Nigerians to drink hot water and stay under the
sun in order to avoid being infected with Coronavirus (COVID-19).

The widely circulated message credited to Haruna
Ngadda, a Professor of Histopathology at the University of Maiduguri Teaching
Hospital, contains claims on the size of the virus, how long it can survive on
surfaces among many others.

THE
FACT: A review of the WhatsApp broadcast message
shows part of the claim comes from an earlier claim purported to be
recommendations from UNICEF.

The message also claims ‘’drinking hot water and sun exposure will do the trick. And staying away from ice cream is important.’’

The purported advisory was also shared
widely among WhatsApp users with similar claim, as seen in the screenshot
below:

The earlier claims
credited to UNICEF was fact checked by the CDD and can be read here CDD Fact Check.

Among the claims is one that, Coronavirus
does not survive in hot area, a claim already debunked by the World Health
Organization.

The WhO had warned that Coronavirus can
survive in all climate. For instance, Singapore and Iran both have warm/hot
climates but are parts of the world where the virus is spreading rapidly.

This addition, the Nigeria Centre for
Disease Control in its Frequently Asked Questions said the claim is yet to be
proven scientifically.

CDD fact checks revealed that there is no
evidence that drinking hot water or staying away from ice cream can ‘do the
trick’ {prevent the virus}.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control told CDD Fact
Checkers it yet to be proven that drinking hot water or any other liquid can
prevent the virus.

CDD Fact checkers spoke with Professor
Haruna Nggada who denied ever sending out the advisory. ‘’ please the public should disregard the message as it a scam. Some
individuals used my name to propagate the falsehood’’

CONCLUSION

The claim that Professor Haruna Ndagga of
the University of Maiduguri sent out health advisory on COVID-19 which claim
that ’drinking hot water and sun exposure will kill the virus is False.